Slow Movies: Countering the Cinema of Action, by Ira Jaffe

Abstract

Given the increasing spread of the recently emerged terms “contemplative cinema” and “slow cinema” in discussions about film, writing a book able to address these phenomena in detail has become an urgent matter. So far mainly employed by theoretically minded film enthusiasts writing in blogs, these terms have never been established as rigorous theoretical notions. It is certainly possible to say more about slowness and contemplation in cinema than simply characterise a film as atmospheric, foggy, dark, monotonous or nostalgic.

Keywords

• contemplative cinema
• slow cinema
• contemporary cinema
• contemplation
• time